20,000 people (messengers and guests) at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting

10 Takeaways From #SBC21

On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 15–16, 2021, the Southern Baptist Convention (Great Commission Baptists) convened its an annual gathering. Two years between meetings (the 2020 meeting was cancelled due to COVID) and some tension around issues of racial justice (and “Critical Race Theory”), failures to deal with instances of sexual abuse, and a tight presidential election had many of us on pins and needles about the direction our network of churches might turn. In my estimation, the convention made the right decisions at nearly every turn. Here are 10 takeaways from our 2021 Annual Meeting.

1. Prayer matters. Many people for many months (years, really) have been praying for grace and unity in the gospel. For many months (years, really) this unity looked like it would take a miracle. In January, I sensed a need to pray for unity, so I set alarm (and soon scheduled tweet reminders) at 4:03pm every day to pray Ephesians 4:3: that we would be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” I prayed at times with feeble faith, sometimes short bullet prayers, but our big God answered many tiny prayers.
2. Sexual abuse survivors matter. For years a number of women who have suffered sexual abuse from certain Southern Baptist leaders have pressed for justice. They spoke and have refused to stop speaking. This year, the convention listened, voting overwhelmingly to investigate the failure to address these abuses at the highest level. These women were the heroes who have fought for justice, and the SBC took a big step in that direction this week.
3. Being in the room matters. As Aaron Burr sings in Hamilton, you need “to be in the room where it happens.” My wife, Laura, and I, along with our three young kids, sat for hours alongside thousands of brothers and sisters, so that we could take care of the business that needed to get done. And business got done.
4. Social media matters. I say often that I don’t like the trope that “Twitter (or Facebook, or…) isn’t real life.” Such platforms are not the totality of real life or the most important part of real life. But they do matter. This year’s convention was influenced significantly by online discussions. Don’t make online everything, but remember that it is something. Engage, wisely and intentionally.
5. Relationships matter. My ten-year-old daughter, Addy, teases me about being on Twitter, saying, “Oh, you’re just talking with the Twitterites.” But this year, I connected with a bunch of people, some I knew and others I didn’t, who became real friends, or who were kind enough to stop me to say that something I said online encouraged them. Everything in life is relationships. Friendships matter. This year’s convention made me grateful for many old friends, and many new ones.
6. Leadership matters. Outgoing SBC President J.D. Greear put on a leadership clinic from the platform, using humor, conviction, and kindness to accomplish the business at hand. James Merritt showed leadership expertise in chairing and sharing the work of the Resolutions committee, who accomplished a nearly impossible task with skill. Grant Gaines and Todd Benkert heroically moved the convention to investigate sexual abuse by knowing the issues and knowing the rules of the meeting. Incoming President Ed Litton honored Al Mohler (who had also been nominated for President) and Mohler honored Litton in return. Adam Greenway lead the Committee on Order of Business expertly, but also had the most under-rated moment of the convention. When asked about the six SBC seminary Presidents’ statement on Critical Race Theory, he said clearly that the statement did not reject the idea of systemic or structural injustice. He also personally apologized and asked for forgiveness from brothers and sisters of color.
7. Polity matters. The democratic and parliamentary process that Southern Baptists uses to conduct their business allows Christians to move in Christian ways. It is taking longer than it should, but Baptist polity has allowed Southern Baptists to address sexual abuse in its ranks in a way that Roman Catholics (for example) have never been able to do. A few courageous women and men have started changing the game.
8. Theology and mission matter. Our networks hangs together on the doubled hook of a shared theological conviction and a shared missionary passion. We believe the gospel, and we want to tell others about it so they can believe it as well. The Southern Baptist Convention is a theologically conservative and missionally intentional network, committed to making disciples of Jesus from the nations. I’m leaving Nashville committed to praying Luke 10:2 more passionately than ever: that God would raise up colaborers for his abundant harvest. Specifically, I’m going to be praying for God to raise up one international missionary, one church planter, and one pastor from our church’s ranks in the next few years.
9. Decisions matter. If the convention had made the wrong decisions about racial justice, sexual abuse, and the presidency, many black and brown members of our network would have been further marginalized, and likely have disconnected from our network. At the end of the convention, I spoke to a minority pastor friend, who said, “I think I will stick with the Southern Baptists for another year.” He was only half-joking. We need to keep making good decisions, not for who we used to be, but for who God is calling to continue to become.
10. Family matters. This was the first time Laura has attended the Annual Meeting with me in quite awhile, and the first time our kids were there. They sat through the meetings. They prayed. They sang. They listened. They watched. We were able to explain some to them about why this network matters. I was grateful for our time together. We loved the Midwestern Seminary lunch featuring Andrew Peterson. They loved getting all sorts of free stuff from the booths in the exhibit hall (squishy mini sports balls, for the win!). It didn’t make it easier having them with us, but it definitely made it better.

I’m looking forward to Anaheim 2022. I hope and pray that we continue to move in the direction we set in 2021.